Switching People
by halloworldsx
Summary: In Ba Sing Se, Zuko and Iroh are starting their lives over in Ba Sing Se. Iroh, wanting Zuko to get friendly with the neighbors, forcibly enrolls Zuko in an Earth Kingdom school. But things start getting progressively worse. And what's the Gaang doing?
1. Chapter 1: Secrets

Well, this is my second fan fiction, and I have to say, I'm still quite nervous, but whatever. This completely goes into an alternate universe (because my head's full of them) and I figured I'd try dumping them out of my head so that new ones fill their place.

This starts off in Ba Sing Se, and Jet never saw Iroh firebending his tea, and Jet goes separate ways after, because he's trying to start a new life. Also, I dislike strange pairings because I think the ones shown on TV are just perfectly fine.

Well, for those of you reading this, let's just say ... that while in Ba Sing Se, Zuko and Iroh are starting their lives over in Ba Sing Se. Iroh, wanting Zuko to get friendly with the neighbors and blend in with others, forcibly enrolled Zuko in an Erath Kingdom school without his knowledge. But things start getting progressively worse. And what's the Gaang doing while all this happens?

Chapter One: Secrets

"Uncle! Do I _really_ have to go to and Earth peasant's school? I mean, I don't even _WANT_ to start a new life here!", Zuko yelled as his uncle was preparing some sort of disgusting and pale-looking slop.

"Now nephew, we have to blend in with our new neighbors. Their children are almost the same age as you, and you should go and try to make friends with them. Plus, this new life isn't bad. You should enjoy life more and learn to blend in with the Earth Kingdom people. Now sit down, have some tea, and eat some breakfast."

Iroh was clearly enjoying this fine morning, but to Zuko, it was another dreary day. What could be worse than going to school with a bunch of peasants?

Zuko didn't like school or his classmates, and his classmates didn't particularly accept him either. Everyone was annoyed by the superior attitude he carried about him. Well, _almost_ everyone. His neighbors, Suchi and Kenna, quite liked him, knowing that he was quite nice to his own uncle whenever they came to study over at Zuko's house.

However, there was a group of kids that particularly disliked him, _hated_ him in fact. Aiko, her sister, Shina, and their friend Kimiko all terribly loathed Zuko. They called themselves the Yu He, which meant the Jade Cranes in Chinese. They all wanted him to just get out of school and never enroll there again. Every time Zuko came followed by an ever cheerful Suchi and patient Kenna, they glared. _Never to get close to us, you freak_.

Zuko didn't care. He hated going to school just the same. And although he found Suchi and Kenna annoying, deep inside, he was grateful to at least have someone around him that he could talk to.

_What's the point of going to school, Uncle? All I learn here is how to sell things, how to farm, and a bunch of other nonsense jobs that I won't ever need when I go back to the Fire Nation. Everything is so pointless here! I just want to go back home… even Uncle's company would be bett-_

"HEY!" Suchi yelled into Zuko's ear, cutting off his thoughts. "Class is starting, _right now_. So stop zoning out again."

"You still shouldn't have yelled in his ear. Tapping him on the shoulder would have been nice as well", Kenna stated with a sympathetic look toward Zuko, who was rubbing his ear with a scowl on his face.

"Well, I thought I would just wake him up so he wouldn't daydream during class either."

"Making another excuse, are you?"

"Nope", Suchi promptly stated.

"Well, you could have just gone with his suggestion of tapping", growled Zuko, now in an angry mood. He hated learning about Earth peasant lifestyle and the history of the Earth Kingdom, yet he had to listen, otherwise Suchi's questions about the day's lecture would pester him throughout the study session his Uncle hosted every night.

"Alright class, we will begin. I shall begin calling roll. Please make yourself audible. Shina?"

"Here." Shina attentively said.

The teacher continued down the list she had. "Suchi?"

"Here."

"Kenna?"

"Present."

"Li?"

"Here." Zuko growled. He remembered that his new name was now Lee, but they misspelled it, turning his name into Li instead, but to Zuko it didn't matter, and I didn't seem to bother Uncle _Mushi_ either. (What Zuko didn't know was that even in the official records of Ba Sing Se, his name was still spelled as Li.)

The teachers would vary depending on the day of the week. Some days, it would be a merchant, and some days a farmer. Sometimes it was an Earthbender. Some days, it would be a house wife or maybe a survivalist. The two would teach how you make it out in the wild with almost nothing. (It was quite interesting, though Zuko hated to admit it). Most of the time, it was either the house wife or the survivalist that taught the students.

Today it was the Earthbender.

But she was no ordinary Earthbender. Zuko decided to make a mental list of all the things he had gathered about his mysterious teacher.

One, her name was Anko (which sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't think of the reason why …).

Two, she was a master-level Earthbender because she could form Earth Golems (but with much concentration).

And Three, She always wore clothing to cover almost every inch of her skin (Zuko suspected it was to hide a scar like his own, except he couldn't hide his that well).

_At least I can observe how Earthbenders attack our nation's soldiers_, Zuko thought as he watched Master Anko hurl a small rock toward a target 500 meters away and blow a hole right through it.

Zuko had been ignoring Suchi all morning, and it really irritated Suchi. He couldn't stand it anymore; he exploded.

"WHY ARE YOU SO DAZED ALL THE TIME?" he yelled. "DON'T YOU EVER TALK AT ALL?"

"Yes, I do talk, but you are annoying, and I was purposely ignoring you." Zuko stated. He had just recently stopped calling Suchi "Earth peasant", but even he himself didn't realize this fact.

"Well _sorry_ for being Mr. Talky Talk. I just wanted you to stop being all up-tighty. I mean, have you _seen_ how our classmates look at you when you pass by. I'm just being defensive for your sake, 'cause you can't seem to do that yourself."

"I can do that _perfectly_ fine myself, Suchi", Zuko growled.

"He's right, you know. I have seen him defend himself", Kenna stated as he watched Suchi make strange gestures in the air.

"Sure, sure. You've said that a million times. I get it already, but you're my friend and neighbor, and I look out for you. You're kinda like our family now, you know?", Suchi said shyly.

Kenna nodded in agreement.

Zuko just looked away, and focused back on the lesson. _Who needed a family here. I already have one, and once I capture the Avatar and his friends and regain my honor, I will leave this place for good._ But deep, deep down inside Zuko's mind, he couldn't stand it when others made fun of Suchi and Kenna, but Zuko wouldn't admit that he was glad to have them as friends.

"Look at how they talk to that irritating guy. I mean, how can you talk to someone who always has that superiority complex and who always addresses you as "peasant"? I mean, who does that?" Aiko said sourly toward her sister and her friend Kimiko.

"I know what you mean, but complaining won't help get over him" said Shina as she watched Kenna politely listen to Suchi's constant jabbering and Zuko's constant scowls toward Suchi. She wished that Zuko would just disappear. She didn't want Zuko anywhere _near_ Suchi or Kenna.

"Well, at least the guy hasn't done anything to them yet", Kimiko stated quite optimistically.

"_Yet_", Shina said. "Quit being so optimistic all the time. If something's negative, then it's negative. Don't try to find the bright side of things all the time! But he won't be next to them for very long." Shina said with a sneaky look on her face. "At least, not after today, he won't."

"Our plan has already commenced."

"And that guy won't ever come back to school again!" Kimiko stated energetically.

It had been three months since Zuko started school, and he could remember his first day there. The Yu He had made their plan two weeks after. What they didn't know was the horrible consequences that would follow. No ever imagined what would happen next.

- ... -

And that's Chapter One: Secrets. I'm not really good at hinting flashbacks, but a flashback of Zuko's first day and the Yu He's secret plot will be elaborated more into detail in Chapter Two. Just a head's up, I _might_ make several chapters pretty short. _Might_.

I appreciated any suggestions and comments, and I would like if others could critique my writing and any grammar and spelling errors. I'll try to change those.

If anyone wants a small profile on any of the characters, you can request one. All of them are original _EXCEPT_ for Anko the Earthbender, which I got from the story _Shattered_ by Magnusrae** (**.net/s/2703657/1/Shattered). It's a great read.

Thanks, and hopefully the next chapter should be up next week, but finals are coming for high schoolers in my area, and I have this Japanese book report to type.

Just expect one within the next two weeks.

Halloworldsx – the world truly in a sacred place.


	2. Chapter 2: First Day

Chapter Two: First Day

* * *

><p>-…-<p>

"Flashback Start"

Zuko woke up like any other morning, scowl on his face, gloom hanging about him. He _hated _being a peasant in the Earth Kingdom, just like he hated his sister, but at least that was less intense than that. (He still had nightmares about her from time to time).

Thinking about Azula just made him even more irritated. He got up and went to look for his uncle. He stopped short when he entered the kitchen. A disgusting aroma was filling the room, and Iroh was standing next what seemed to be the source of the pungent smell.

"What in the world is that _disgusting_ smell, Uncle?"

"Sea prunes, Zuko," Uncle stated as he held up a bowl of purple-colored mush. "It's quite delicious."

"_What?_" Zuko questioned his uncle's sanity for a moment as he looked down into the bowl. "Yeah… umm, no."

_Whatever that mush is, I would rather starve to death. I'm a prince, and princes don't eat such peasant food._

"You should eat something before you go to school, nephew. You won't be back here for several hours, and during that time you can't help with the tea shop."

"No! I'm not eating tha- …. school?" Zuko glanced suspiciously toward his Uncle. Did he even hear him correctly? Today was definitely not a good day.

"Yes. You'll be going to an Earth Kingdom school starting today."

"WHAT? We're supposed to be hiding! The teachers at school probably all know my face from the posters! And _I'm_ supposed to be going to _school_?"

"That's right, we are supposed to be hiding. What better way to blend in with the Earth Kingdom people than to learn their ways? During my attack on Ba Sing Se, I learned many things about the Earth Kingdom, and it's time you learn some too, nephew."

"But-!"

"The teachers won't recognize your face. I've been watching, and none of those posters have been placed around this area. Only kids about your age will be in your class and they all live close to this area. In fact, Kenna and Suchi are your two of your classmates."

"_Them_? Why do I have to be around them? It was bad enough having to see them in the tea shop, but now I have to see them everyday in the morning?"

"Come now, nephew. They are perfectly fine, young men. They will help you blend into the Earth Kingdom. After all, we '_are_ supposed to be hiding', right?" Uncle said with a mischievous smile on his face.

Zuko just frowned all the more._ I can't believe I'm being talking into going to school. I finished school already, and now I have to go _again_?_ Just the thought of going to school again made him cringe. Azula had always been better than him. _Damn, I have _got_ to stop thinking about her!_ Zuko violently shook his head.

Iroh knew he had won this battle. Now he just hoped his nephew could walk on the right path after this experience. He smiled at the thought and offered his nephew the sea prunes, which he immediately refused. _Sigh. If only his appetite would change._ Iroh thought as his nephew went to change his clothes, grumbling about something that he couldn't quite make out.

Zuko came out of the room dressed in typical Earth Kingdom clothes. "So where is this school? I need to know in case I ever get lost in this god forsaken city."

Iroh noticed that Zuko had calmed down a little, and told him where the school was located. I would take no more than 30 minutes to walk there. "Oh, and Kenna and Suchi can always show you the way if you ever get lost. They are our neighbors, and they seem to want to be friends with you," Iroh stated as Zuko trudged out the door.

"No thanks," Zuko grumbled as he left. No sooner had he left when he was greeted by the very two people he was talking about. Suchi slapped Zuko in the back and greeted him with a hearty smile while Kenna bow slightly as he said hello.

Iroh watched as they left, sighed and smiled. He hoped that enrolling Zuko into this school would help him open up more. I looked out toward the city as he prepared to go work in the tea shop. _Lu Ten, please watch over him_.

-…-

Iroh had just made it in time to have Zuko enrolled at the start of school. He lined up with the others in the back of the classroom as he observed around seven people standing in the front of the class. Kenna and Suchi lined up right beside him. Zuko noticed that some people were already staring at his scar. He glared back, running chills down their spines.

Shina looked toward Suchi and Kenna. _Why were they hanging out with that ruffian? Why is he glaring at the rest of the class? It's only the first day!_

"Look at him, being all high and mighty! I want to take him down a few notches!" Aiko scowled when she looked at Zuko. "No one gets that cocky one the first day of school."

"He doesn't seem all that bad 'cause Kenna and Suchi are next to him, so he can't be that bad. He just … seems lonely? Or maybe sad? Angry? Uhh…" Kimiko kept racking her head to think of more words to describe what she was thinking.

"There's no need to keep thinking about that. You'll just hurt your head," Aiko stated.

"Attention!" one of the teachers yelled across the room. "We will be introducing ourselves and going over how things go at this school. Please listen and make sure you pay attention!"

_Why should I listen to a bunch of peasants from the Earth Kingdom? This is such a waste of time. _Zuko ignored the introduction of every single teacher. He honestly didn't want to be here, and his classmates also wanted him out. No one liked the glares Zuko constantly gave out. _Why do I have to listen to this? The schedules are bizarre …wait, did I hear Earthbending? There's Earthbending that will be taught here?_

Anko had begun discussing her area of expertise. She didn't say much except that her name was Anko and that she was an expert Earthbender. _Anko … where have I heard that name…? _Zuko pondered this for a while, but he couldn't remember why he felt relaxed at hearing the name or why he seemed nervous being around Anko. _I guess this school isn't all bad. I guess I should pay attention after all. … Darn! I'm actually agreeing with Uncle here!_ He shook the thought away and focused on the teachers.

Suchi stared at Zuko. _I'm so gonna quiz him tonight on the teacher's introductions and today's lesson._ Suchi just smirked at the thought. He was going to have some fun tonight.

Kenna had a worried expression as he looked at his brother. _Oh boy, Zuko will have a hard time tonight_, Kenna thought.

Introductions continued on, and thankfully the teachers went through there introductions again for those who were … _not as fast_ … as the other children in understanding things. Zuko made sure to pay attention to every detail, but he was disinterested in almost every teacher.

Class started off with the housewife, teaching the students how to survive in a royal house as a servant or when your parents are out and you need to deal with life on your own. Zuko paid attention and because he needed these skills when Uncle was out, and he _really _didn't want to starve. His stomach was already protesting to skipping today's breakfast.

_Ugh. I really want school to be over so that I can get out of here. How did Uncle talk me into this…?_

-…-

Meanwhile …

Katara looked over toward the window. "Look, the Inner Wall! I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece." Aang, who was looking out the window looked over towards Katara and smiled.

"Hey, don't jinx it!" exclaimed Sokka. "We could still be attacked by some giant exploding Fire Nation spoon or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp."

"You've been hitting the cactus juice again?" Toph said with a somewhat accusing voice.

"I'm just saying. Weird stuff happens to us." Sokka was making his weird hand gestures. Katara rolled her eyes. Right when Sokka finished talking, a cubby man sucking on corn sits right between Toph and Sokka, pushing them aside. _See what I mean? Weird Stuff!_ Sokka thought as he looked at the chubby man, now slightly pushing him against the man next to him.

Aang and Katara were looking out the window by this time, and looking at the city only made Aang worry more about Appa. _I hope nobody's hurting him. I find you buddy, just you wait._ Aang only looked down, unable to hide his emotions from Katara.

Katara looked over. "Don't worry Aang. We'll find Appa."

"It's such a big city." Aang said in a hushed voice.

"It's a _giant bison._ Where could someone possibly hide him?" Sokka looked out the window as they approached the entrance of the Inner Wall. As they passed the tunnel, Sokka thought to himself _'Never mind; they could probably hide him somewhere.'_

"Oh." Sokka, Aang, and Katara looked at the endless rows of houses.

As the train stopped at the station, everybody was prepared to get off the train. Toph was the first to get off. "Back in the city. Great." Toph stated with an irritated voice.

"What's the problem? It's amazing!" Sokka's voice was packed full of awe and wonder. It only wanted Toph to gag even more. Bad enough she was back in this city; she didn't want to hear her friends admire it, especially Sokka.

"Just a bunch of walls and rules. You wait. You'll get sick of it in a couple of days," Toph scoffed.

Aang was looking at his bison whistle. He really wanted to know where Appa was. He blew it, hoping that Appa would fly back to him through the sky. "I'm coming for you, buddy." Katara walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "He's here. I can feel it," Aang asserted.

As the train speed off, a woman with a ridiculously wide grin stared at them. She walked over to the gang. "Hello. My name is Joo Dee." She was wearing a typical Earth Kingdom dress and a dark green scarf with the Earth Kingdom's symbol on it. An Earth Kingdom hair pin was placed at the top-back of her head. An eerie feel hung about her, and Sokka couldn't shake it off, but he remained still, trying not to draw attention to himself.

Joo Dee continued. "I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, and Toph," Joo Dee stated as she looked at each of them respectively. "Welcome to our wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

Sokka took the initiative. "Yes! We have information about the Fire Nation army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately," Sokka informed as he leaned towards her. That eerie feeling still stuck with him.

"Great! Let's begin our tour. And then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you'll like it." Joo Dee turned and began walking.

"Uuh!" Sokka was clearly irritated. He walked over to her, took off his bag, and dragged it behind him. "Maybe you missed what I said. We need to talk to the king about the war. It's important."

"You're in Ba Sing Se now. Everyone is safe here."

Everyone just gave her shocked and puzzled looks. They followed her anyway because it seemed like they didn't have any other choice. They entered a cart being pulled by and ostrich horse as Joo Dee began talking about the lower ring. "This is the Lower Ring." Momo clung on to the ceiling as the others looked out the windows.

"What's that wall for?" asked Katara.

"Oooh, Ba Sing Se has many walls. There are the ones outside protecting us and the ones inside that help maintain order," Joo Dee stated while keeping that ridiculous smile plastered to her face. "This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsmen and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively." Katara looked out the window and saw a man holding a sword and talking to someone. He looked over, flashed the sword and glared at them. Katara widened her eyes in fear. Joo Dee broke her smile. "You do want to watch your step though."

"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" Katara questioned. Joo Dee's smile simply returned back onto her face.

"This is why I never came here before," Aang stated with a depressed look on his face. "I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught use to live." He looked out the window, hoping that somehow, he could find Appa among the city walls.

-…-

Class was short, since many of the students still had their family jobs they needed to attend to, but many had stopped their jobs because their parents expected them to be there longer and accepted the fact that their children could not help out with the work load. Everyone was pretty much sick of Zuko by then. Zuko had not suppressed his superior attitude that he carried around him, and that made his classmates only glare at him more.

Yet all the while, Kenna and Suchi were not bothered by Zuko, nor were they hostile at all. In fact, they were extremely friendly, and made Zuko feel uncomfortable to be around them. Zuko didn't know how to accept the kindness. The last time he was shown kindness from others besides his Uncle was when his mother was still around, and the thought of her made him even more melancholy.

_I was right. Today was definitely a horrible day. Class was dull and boring; I lost to Uncle in a mental battle (like I always do); I have to deal with annoying peasants that follow me or glare at me all day and I have to work at Uncle's tea shop later. Great. Just great._

Zuko was completely wrapped in his thought as he walked home, Suchi and Kenna trailing right behind him. Suchi crept up to Zuko and pounced right onto his prey. "WE ARE GONNA HAVE A STUDY SESSION!" Suchi bellowed.

"What?" Zuko mumbled in shock as he pushed Suchi away and rubbed his ear. _Damn, that was loud. Why are peasants so noisy?_

"Suchi! Don't yell into his ear! Sorry, Li. I'll explain. Suchi and I usually talk about the day's lecture and ask detailed questions to each other. We discussed this with your father and he approved, so you'll be having a study session with us tonight. We'll be coming over to your house at night and you'll only be working at the tea shop during afternoon hours.

_Less tea shop hours in exchange for more of the annoying peasant's rambling. I absolutely hate this day. _Zuko's face held a mean-looking scowl and Suchi only grinned with delight. "Wait till we get home and start practicing!" Suchi yelled as he ran ahead, pumping his fists in the air, and practically leaped and into his house. Kenna gave a sympathetic look towards Zuko and bowed slightly. "See you tonight, Li."

_I don't need your sympathy and I don't need your friendship. I'm a prince and I can't associate with peasants like you. I just want to capture the Avatar, regain my honor, and go back home. Then father will love like before. _Zuko entered the house right next to Suchi's and Kenna's and changed clothes, preparing to go to work and find his Uncle.

_Why does today have to be so unlucky? Why does everything I do always blow up in my face? _Zuko left, drowned in his own thoughts as he walked towards the tea shop he and his uncle worked at.

-…-

**One Week Later**…

Shina, Aiko, and Kimiko were sick of Zuko. They wanted to get rid of him from school and there lives, permanently. They planned it out; they were going to need the Earthbending teacher to unknowingly help them. And somehow, they would get Master Anko to do target practice and bend rocks at fast speeds. But how…? They would figure it out later. But one thing was certain. When this plan was all over, Zuko would no longer be willing to attend the school.

They all looked over towards Zuko, who had his chin on his hand staring at the teacher and listening with a dull look on his face to what the survivalist teacher was trying to say about hunting birds.

"Soon … soon you will fall at the hands of the Yu He!" whispered Aiko. Shina and Kimiko nodded in agreement. "Prepare yourself, Li. This will be the worst months of your life yet!"

"Yes" Shina whispered. Kimiko clapped her hand in excitement.

And with that, the Yu He set their plan into motion.

"Flashback End"

* * *

><p><strong>Finally ... FINALLY!<strong>

**Next is a small preview of what it is to come. Kinda of like a prologue, but more of what will happen in the future.**

**Oh boy, hopefully none of my AP classes bother me this week.**

**Thanks for all those encouraging comments you guys have made~! It really helps the morale.**

**link to the previous chapter : [link]**

**I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender (c) or Zuko (c).**  
><strong>Though I do own Suchi, Kenna, Shina, Aiko, and Kimiko. Since they are all OC's.<strong>

**Picture belongs to Sora-ko ([link])**

**Halloworldsx – the world truly is a sacred place.**


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